228 the wall was not quite so high in that part as else. where. Two baltering machines were standing against the western angle of the wall, opposite to which a large practicable breach had been made by means of one of those machines. They were both very simple in their structure, but calculated to be yery powerful in their effects. r could distinctly see and examine with my eyes the one nearest to us. It was formed, as it appeared to me, in the first place, by laying down two large logs of wood at right an­ gles with the wall, and abou t fifteen feet apart, the ends of the logs butting against the wall. (See plate, figure 4.) Into the upper side of each of these logs a nitch or !Dol'tise was cut to receive the th ick ends of two uprights, consisting of two rOilgh trunks of trees, of about twelve inches in diameter at their base, of eq lIal lengths, and rising to the height of about twenty-five or thirty feel. Each upl'ight had a crotch in its upper end, formed by ti,e' natural branching of the two principal . limbs Of the tree, like a common country well-post in America. These crotches being, rounded out by art, a stout piece of knotty timber of about frolll twelve to eighteen inches i;;- thickness was placed horizontally in them. To the centre of the cross-picce a pole of ten or tweh'e inches in circumference was lashed with a strong rope, and (0 the lower end of this pole, a huge rough rock was fastened, weighing from ap­ pearances several tons. The rock was slung and fastcned to the pole by means of thick ropes, fann­ ed by braiding many thongs of camels' skins toge. tber. After the machine had been fitted together on Sl'('~'ERDGS 11\ AFRICA. 229 !.he ground, it had been raised all in a body by the help of long shores or sticks of timber, not so thick as (he uprights, but nearly twice as long: these shores were tied fast to the uprights, near their Totches by ropes, and served to raise and lower the machine at pleasure, and also acted as braces to support it when in action. Two short props or hraces were fixed between1he uprIghts and the wall, with one end resting against its base, and the other ,n a notell cut all the inner side of the uprights to li(·II' to keep them steady, and preYent them from foiling against the walls. The rock hung within two or three feet of the ground, like a huge pen­ dulum; and having a long rope fastened to its slings, stt'etching off from the wall at least one hun­ dred an,1 fifty feet. The manner of applying it, was by the assailants laying hold 'of this rope in great numbers, and then hauling oJf the rock to its greatest extent; all let go at the same instant, and the rock swung back with such impetuosity against those ill-constructcd walls, that its repeated strokes soon o~cned a breach, through which the besiegers entereu, sword in hand. The other machine was tnade of foul' rough sticks of tiruber, of nearly equal lengths, lashed together at their smallest ends, and raIsed in forln of a common triangle, or rather a quadrangle; from the point of junct~ll'e, a large rock was suspended by a rope of camels' skin, braided to the tJlickness of a man's leg, and slung in sue', a manner as to be struck against the wall in the same way as the one first described. My companioD, Rais bel Coss;'n. gave me all the information I de- 230 CA}'TAIN RILEY'S 'NARRATH'E. sired relative to these machines. The ground about the breach and neal' the gate was strewed oyer with dry human bones; and my curiosity being much e'x­ cited to know the history 6f this me!iancholy scene of carnage and desolation, I requested Rais to com­ municate to me the particulars; but not being, it seems, acquainted with them himself, he applied to Sidi Mohammed 00 the subject, who thereupon gave the following relation, while Rais translated into Spanish for me' such parts as I did not perfectly un­ derstand in Arabic, by which means I was enabled t11oroughly to comprehend the whole narrative. " That city (said Sidi Mohammed, f·o inting to­ wards it with his staff,) was built by Omar Ras­ cAid, about forty years ago; JJe named it Widnah. He was a very brave anJ pious man : and the num­ ber of bis family and friends, consisting at first of 110 mace than five hundred souls, when the city was built, increased so rapidly, that in a few years they amounted to several thousands: they planted thos!, fig, date, pomegranat~, olive, and other trees which YOll nolV sec near the walls ; they cultivated the rields ronnd about, an d made gardens; had abll ~ , dance or-bread, beasts, and cattle of eyery kind, and became exceedingly ri ch and great, [01' God was with them. In all thei r transactions, they were re­ ;;pected, loved, and feared by all their neighbours, because they were wise and just. This man was called Omar el JliilliaJ., (or Omar the good;) he.. was my best friend when living, (said Sidi) and helped me when I was very low in Ihe world, but the besi men have enemies-so it was with Gmal'; he had an SUFFERJ~!1S IN AFRICA . 231 inl'etcrate enemy from his youth, who lived among the mountains to the southwart] of his city, whose name was Sheiclc SlIlmill, This Sheick, about t lVen­ ty years ago, came down with a great host and in­ vested ~he city of Omar, but Omar laking advantage of (he darkn ess of (he night, sallied out of his city , at a pri"ate passage, with all his forces, and falling "pon his besiegers unawaIes, killed a great number, aud put the remainder to a shameful flight-from that time unli l the time of his death, (which happen­ ed 'IVO year's ago) he enjoyed a profound peace all ~ver)' side, After Omal"s death, his eldest son, .~IlIlc!J !smael, (for he caused himself to he called a pl'illce) took upon him the government of the city. He \ras a vel') effeminate man, entirely devoted to sensual pleasure, ami had a great number of wives alld coneuoines, 'fhe people had long enjoyed a profound peace, and conGded in their strength; whe!) about a yeai' ago one of tbe brothers of Ismael, wl.IJled lCesll-balt, who was very ambitiolls, and being fired ",illfresentment at the couduet of Muley Isma,,}, in taking away from hi:n his betrothed wife, left tbe cit}, and repaired to the mountains, where haying fuund Iri s father's old enemy still Ii ring, he stirred him up to war against the city, Tbe old Shcick soon roUected a powerful army of hungry and rapa­ cious A rnos 011 the borders of the desart, alld came down the mountains, bringing on their camels the battering machines you now see standing there, '''hen this host approached the city, it was in the dead of the night, and all witbin were asleep, for tbey dwelt carelessly and dreamed of no danger. 232 C.-\PTAIN RI-LEY'S NARRATIVE. and felt so secure, that they did not even 'keep a watch. Tbe Sheick and his host drew near the walls in perfect silence, and raised their battering machines undiscovered: it was now nearly daylight, when both machines were put in operation ,at the same instant, and the gate was also attacked by means of large stones hung from the upper extremi­ ties of long poles by ropes, ,"hich poles stood up on end, and wel'e managed by the hands of the Arabs. The first strokes against the walls and gate~ shook them to their very foundations, and awakened the slothful inhabitants, who flew to the walls in order to make a defence; out it ,vas too late; tbe enemy were thundering against them; all was confusion within; th?~e who attacked the gate were repn!sed with great slaughter by those who mounted the platform over it, but tho walls were already shat­ tered to pieces, and the assailants entered the breaches over heaps of their deild and dying ene­ mies. It was now daylight, and an indiscriminate slaughter of the inhabitants ensued; all was blood and carnage; every male was put to death, except_ , two, who escaped over the wall to Ca tTY tidings of the fate of the to\\'n to their friends and neighbours. All the women and children shared the same fate, except two hundred virgins, who were spared for the I)se of the conquerors. They next plundered the slain of their clothing and ornaments; gathered l\p all the spoil, and drove oif the oxen, sheep, camel., and asses, and departed, leaving the city before JIlid-day a heap of ruins, coYel'€'d with tbe mangled SUFPEnlNGS IN Al~lUCA . 233 carcassos of its once hi ghly favollr d inh ab itants: the) wo"o in such haste as to I"ave the battering machines standing, and Illade 00' by way of the plain southward, The inh abitants of tbe neighbour­ ing towns oon collected, aod pll rsuing tbern willt great vigo ur, calllC up wiLh thelll 011 Lhe side of the moulltain the next l1l olo ning, while the invad ers ::le nd­ in g (orward Lheir spoiJ , Look a sta ti on in a steep li(IITOW pass, ,\1".1 11l'0l'ared 101' battlo, II was a v l'y 10ll g and bloody [, gllt, but Sulmin 's III n rolled clown g",'ut stoo s f"olll Lh e precipices upon the ir pursuers, who were llt laAt forccd to ret)'eaL, I ·ay ing about Il"lf thei .